Southlake (TX) Carroll kicker and Alabama commit Cade Foster isn't your average specialist. At 6-foot-1 and 220-pounds, Foster has the build and the athleticism to deal out punishing hits on defense, which he'll be doing every week for Carroll this fall.

"We just did our testing and I ran a 4.60 forty and did 370 pounds on the bench and a 525-pound squat," Foster said. "Alabama is expecting me to come in and start right away at placekicker and that's really all they want me focused on. Just kicking and not getting hurt. I'll be starting at middle linebacker for Carroll this fall and while that's a lot of fun for me, I know my real future in football is at placekicker."

Before committing to the Crimson Tide as a placekicker, Foster was beginning to receive real interest from major schools as a linebacker prospect. Despite the allure of playing on defense, Foster remains committed to kicking for the Tide.

"Colorado, Miami, Oregon State and Oregon were all really interested in me as a linebacker. Stanford and Washington both offered as well but they were only interested in me as a kicker. I'm not really hearing from anyone anymore. Miami was the last to offer and they just let me know that if I ever changed my mind about Alabama, they'd have a spot for me."

"I really don't have any plans to visit anywhere else this fall unless something changes at Alabama, and it doesn't look like anything is going to change."

Foster has kept in touch with some of his fellow Crimson Tide commits including the Tide's other Lone Star State standout.

"I keep in touch with Chad Lindsay, who is also from Texas. We've talked a lot about going to Alabama and how lucky we are to get to be a part of this program at this time in its history. It's an exciting time at Alabama and I'm really excited to get there and be a part of what's happening."

"After the season I'll be playing in the Army All-American game. I'm really honored to have been invited and hopefully I'll get a chance to meet a few more Alabama guys there. Pretty much as soon as that's over I'll be headed to Tuscaloosa since I'm graduating early. I can't wait to get up there and start working with the coaches and hopefully earning my way onto the field."

For now, Foster is focused on his final season at Carroll, which begins August 29th with a road game at Plano West High.

"We definitely expect to have a strong team this year," Foster said. "We have nine starters back on defense and our offense is pretty much all seniors. I think this could be one of our best years for sure."